Page 48 of Kings of Decay
Killing Willow's father would not be helpful in our mission of getting into her pants.
Pearce texted me back.
We can't take him out yet.
I know, I replied.
My phone buzzed immediately.
We need him out of town and smother this before it gets out of control.
Chapter thirty-two
Willow
December hit Grayling Pass hard and fast.Rose wasn't joking about the storms.
The sky turned grey and ominous as the days progressed, and the wind picked up, whipping ice shards into the windows. Snow began to pile up quickly, obscuring the hills and forests beyond. The days were shorter and shorter. I felt like I barely saw the sun. It was either night or cloudy.
One good thing about this was I had nothing to do but study. I spent my time curled up by the woodstove, working on my laptop. I'd passed every exam with higher grades than I'd ever had before.
I let out a long sigh and closed my laptop.
Dad should be home soon, I thought.
I forced myself up, wrapping a blanket around me and shuffling over to the window. Sometime between lunch and now, the snow stopped. It looked like a dreamland outside. The moonlight cascaded over the snow, making it look like diamonds.
I shivered. It felt like someone was watching me, but it couldn't be. No one would be out in this weather, but I'd felt like that for weeks now.
It was a strange sensation. It felt as if I was being followed, but no matter where I looked or how hard I tried to shake the feeling, nothing would change. Maybe I was just going crazy.
I shook my head, dispelling the thoughts from my mind. Nothing was out there but me and the vast expanse of frozen nothingness.
I sighed and looked over at the clock. Eight o'clock. Where could Dad be? His shift was supposed to end at six, and he usually had the decency to tell me if he was working late.
He was probably with his girlfriend, Amka.
I scowled, instantly hating both him and myself at the same time. How could he be over Mom? But why was I so mad at him for trying to move on? All of my emotions pulled me back and forth until I felt like my heart was going to tear in half.
I choked back the tears. I was tired. Tired of crying. Tired of being so useless.
I let my head fall forward against the window, letting the cold glass give me something to feel. With every breath in and out, the fog on the glass grew. I looked past my distorted reflection into the darkness beyond.
I could go for a walk and never come back. I'd probably been close to death the night the brothers made me walk in my underwear. I felt the cold in my bones just thinking of it. And then again, when I passed out on the path, and Rose found me. I could have been lost then, too.
I bit down on my lip and squeezed my eyes shut. Why the fuck didn't I just die. I should have died of a broken heart the day my mom passed away.
I could still remember her in the hospital bed, so pale and weak. No hair. A frail shadow of who she was.
The cancer had eaten away at her, taking her dignity, strength, and vitality. I couldn't bear to see her like that. She deserved better than to be hooked up to machines that kept her alive while we watched her slip away.
The worst part was that there was no way to avenge her. No way to get closure. Just... loss.
A moment later, headlights flashed through the frosty pane, illuminating the cabin's small living room before sliding toward the darkness again. Dad's truck rumbled to a stop in the front driveway. Maybe it was the driveway, but it was hard to tell what gravel and mud were under all the snow.
Dad got out of the truck, looking more exhausted than ever. He walked like a huge weight was bearing down on him.
"Hey, Dad," I said as he opened the door.
